In an effort to track the changes with the coronavirus outbreak in Arizona, 12 News has started a daily live blog.
Here is the live blog for Wednesday, Oct. 7.
Major updates:
- There have been 222,538 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 5,733 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona as of Wednesday.
- The state does not record how many people have recovered, but Johns Hopkins University estimates the number of people who have recovered.
- You can find COVID-19 testing sites here.
- Scroll down to see how many cases are in each ZIP code and additional information.
COVID-19 cases reported in Arizona on Wednesday
There have been 222,538 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 5,733 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona, according to the state's latest numbers.
That is an increase from 221,934 cases and 5,713 coronavirus-related deaths reported as of Tuesday.
A week ago, there were 218,507 cases and 5,650 deaths reported in Arizona.
LEER EN ESPANOL: Coronavirus en Arizona el 7 de octubre: 604 casos nuevos y 20 decesos se reportan el miércoles
604 new cases, 20 new deaths reported Wednesday
The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 604 new cases and 20 new deaths on Wednesday.
Arizona reached 200,000 coronavirus cases on Aug. 27, 100,000 on July 6 and 50,000 cases on June 21. The state reached 5,000 coronavirus deaths on Aug. 29, 4,000 on Aug. 6, 3,000 deaths on July 23, 2,000 on July 9 and 1,000 on June 5.
Arizona's Rt, pronounced r-naught, was at 1.05 on Tuesday, up from 1.01 on Monday.
The Rt is essentially a mathematical number that shows whether more people are becoming infected or less.
The concern is that any Rt over 1, no matter how small, means the virus may grow exponentially.
There were 5,463 cases reported on the collection date of June 29, the day with the most collected diagnoses so far. That is subject to change.
Health officials said the day with the highest number of reported deaths was July 17, when 100 people died. That is subject to change.
Health officials continued to stress that people should continue social distancing, wearing masks in public, and stay home when possible.
Early voting in 2020 election for Arizona starts Wednesday
Early voting for the 2020 election in Arizona starts Wednesday. Team 12's Trisha Hendricks has the latest.
RELATED: When will mail-in ballots be sent? How can I vote early? FAQs about the 2020 election in Arizona
Phoenix haunted house to take new measures amid COVID-19 pandemic
Team 12's Jen Wahl visited one of Phoenix's scariest haunted houses to see how they plan to deliver scares in a safe way this Halloween season.
Maricopa County launches revamped website for residents to get services
The Maricopa County Department of Public Health launched its revamped Find Help Phoenix website to help residents affected by the COVID-19 pandemic get access to health and social services.
The services, which the department says are "free and almost-free," include:
- Housing and Utility services
- Food and Clothing services
- Employment services
- Parenting and child care services
- Kids and youth services
- Domestic violence victim services
- Mental health or addiction services
There is also a sister Spanish site, www.EncuentraAyudaPHX.org.
Phoenix Pride announces 2021 date
Phoenix Pride announced Tuesday that it has scheduled the 40th Phoenix Pride Festival and Parade for April 10-11, 2021, for the festival and April 11, 2021, for the parade.
The event was canceled in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Downtown Phoenix marketplace to reopen Friday
The Churchill, an open-air marketplace in downtown Phoenix, will reopen at 4 p.m. Friday.
The marketplace will reopen with 10 locally-owned retail shops, restaurants and lounges, including the all-new Stoop Kid, an New York-style bagel and coffee shop.
The Churchill will have limited seating, including the upstairs dining deck. All seating will be assigned and limited to 50% capacity. Guests will be required to wear masks while entering or moving around the space.
UPS to hire more than 2,800 seasonal employees in Phoenix-area
UPS announced Tuesday that it expects to hire more than 2,800 seasonal employees in the Phoenix area.
The employees will support the anticipated holiday demand through January.
In Phoenix, UPS is hiring for:
- 220 package car drivers
- 270 personal vehicle drivers
- 1,030 package handlers
- 680 driver-helpers
Local UPS facilities hiring seasonal workers include:
- Phoenix
- Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport
- Goodyear
- Tempe
- Mesa
Personal vehicle and package car driver jobs range from $21-$24 per hour. Pay for package handlers start at $14.50 per hour and $14.50 for driver-helpers.
You can apply at www.upsjobs.com.
Court blocks move to give voters time to fix early ballots
A federal appeals court has blocked a move that would have given Arizona voters who forget to sign their early ballot affidavits up to five days after the election to fix the problem.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday put a lower court ruling on hold as it considers an appeal from Republican Attorney General Mark Brnovich.
There's no indication the 9th Circuit will rule on the appeal before the Nov. 3 general election.
Democratic groups argued it was unfair for election officials to deny voters more time to fix the ballots.
The above article was written by The Associated Press.
Arizona county officials consider rescinding virus emergency
Officials in an Arizona county plan to wait until later in the week before deciding whether to rescind an ongoing state of emergency resulting from the coronavirus pandemic.
Today’s News Herald reported Mohave County officials are unsure what impact the decision may have on grant funding distributed by the state.
The Mohave County Board of Supervisors has scheduled a special meeting Thursday in Kingman to discuss the possible consequences for the county’s $9.1 million in federal coronavirus relief funding.
Board members say they want to wait until more information is available before deciding whether to lift the emergency order.
The above article was written by The Associated Press.
Man who wouldn't wear mask on plane claims unfair treatment
A man who refused to wear a face mask on a Utah-bound Allegiant flight and was escorted off the plane claims he was treated unfairly by flight attendants.
Rio Honaker was removed from the Provo-bound flight in Mesa, Arizona, on Saturday after he and another passenger got into a fight.
Honaker told KSL-TV he was following the airline’s face covering rules.
He says he wore a face shield and a mask covering only his mouth because wearing a mask over his nose gives him anxiety.
Allegiant Air has said passengers are required to wear a mask that covers their nose and mouth at all times when traveling.
The above article was written by The Associated Press.
Navajo Nation reports 17 new coronavirus cases, 1 more death
Navajo Nation health officials reported 17 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday with one additional death.
That brings the total number of cases to 10,501 including 30 additional cases that were previously unreported due to delayed reporting or reconciliation.
The death toll stands at 560 since the pandemic began.
Tribal health officials say 109,722 people on the vast reservation that covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah have been tested for the coronavirus and 7,284 have recovered.
A shelter-in-place order, mask mandate, daily curfews and weekend lockdowns remain in effect on the Navajo Nation.
The above article was written by The Associated Press.
Arizona health department sets up hotline to report businesses
The Arizona Department of Health Services has set up two ways for people to report local businesses that are not following COVID-19 guidelines.
People can report businesses through a hotline or through an online form:
- Submit a complaint online at www.azhealth.gov/complianceCOVID19
- Calling the COVID-19 Compliance Hotline at 1-844-410-2157
“There’s a role for the public as well: If you believe a business isn’t following these requirements, which were established for the safety of customers, employees, and the broader public, ADHS encourages you to share your concerns so local and state officials can follow up as needed,” AZDHS said in a statement.
RELATED: Arizona’s health department wants you to report businesses that don’t enforce safety requirements
Free masks available for some Arizonans
The Arizona Department of Health Services announced that some Arizonans would be able to get free masks from the state.
The department partnered with Hanes to provide free face masks to Arizona’s most vulnerable populations.
Anyone who is part of a vulnerable population (including, but not limited to, individuals with medical conditions or individuals age 65 or older), a student (or parents on behalf of students), school staff member or who may not be able to purchase one is able to get a free mask.
Each other will provide five washable, reusable cloth face masks, one order per household.
The department hopes to give out two million cloth face masks.
Anyone with questions can visit the department's FAQs page or contact Hanes at 1-800-503-6698.
Arizona releases ZIP code locations of coronavirus cases, other data
The Arizona Department of Health Services has released expanded data points regarding coronavirus cases in the state.
The AZDHS website now features the location of confirmed cases in Arizona by zip code.
You can see the current ZIP code map here and can find yours by clicking around or searching for your ZIP code in the top right of the map.
More information on coronavirus cases from Wednesday
There have been 222,538 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 5,733 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona.
That is an increase from 221,934 cases and 5,713 coronavirus-related deaths reported as of Tuesday.
There were 604 new cases reported on Wednesday, a decrease from the 864 reported on Tuesday.
There was 20 new deaths reported on Wednesday, an increase from the six new deaths reported Tuesday.
There were 5,463 cases reported on the collection date of June 29, the day with the most collected diagnoses so far. That is subject to change.
Health officials said the day with the highest number of reported deaths was July 17, when 100 people died. That is subject to change.
In total, 7,781 new tests were reported on Wednesday, a decrease from 9,128 on Tuesday.
There have been a total of 1,817,108 PCR and Serology tests reported to the state as of Wednesday.
10.2% of those tests have been positive as of Wednesday, the same as Tuesday.
Here's a breakdown of the number of cases in each county:
- Maricopa: 144,342
- Pima: 26,092
- Pinal: 10,859
- Coconino: 4,343
- Navajo: 5,848
- Apache: 3,642
- Mohave: 4,075
- La Paz: 554
- Yuma: 12,883
- Graham: 901
- Cochise: 1,934
- Santa Cruz: 2,892
- Yavapai: 2,645
- Gila: 1,468
- Greenlee: 60
Click on the links below to find more information from each county's health department:
COVID-19 is believed to be primarily spread through coughs or sneezes.
It may be possible for the virus to spread by touching a surface or object with the virus and then a person touching their mouth, nose or eyes, but this is not thought to be the main method of spread, the CDC says.
You should consult your doctor if you traveled to an area currently affected by COVID-19 and feel sick with fever, cough or difficulty breathing.
There is no vaccine for the coronavirus, so the best way to prevent COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases is to:
- Wear face coverings while in public.
- Practice social distancing while in public.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
- Stay home when you are sick.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
- Clean and disinfect frequently-touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
You can text FACTS to 602-444-1212 to receive more information on the coronavirus and to ask questions.
